With students preparing to return back to school and to resume sports activities, athletes should know that all contact sports, and especially those that require a helmet, present a risk of dental accidents including broken teeth, fractured bones, etc. To stimulate and reward positive health behaviors, our dentists are delighted to offer personalized athletic mouthguards at a significant discount. In contrast to preformed ready-made mouthguards that are sold in super markets, our individualized mouth guards are uniquely fitted to the athlete. The process involves an impression of the teeth, creating a plaster mold, and then creating the guard in the laboratory. For more questions or to make an appointment please call out front desk at 617-735-0800 and request a “new mouthguard appointment”. This offer represents a discount of $138, and will remain active until September 31^st 2016.

We are delighted to announce that in addition to existing diode technology, Convivial Dental is now using Lightscalpel Soft Tissue Laser.

Lightscalpel is a CO2 laser used to perform soft tissue surgeries with minimal or no discomfort.

Lightscalpel is considered state-of-the art in the world of dental lasers. It shortens the procedure time, it minimizes or eliminates bleeding and leads to a much faster healing. It is an ideal device for select periodontal treatment, frenectomies, biopsies, and tissue contouring.

The purchase of Lighscalpel represents a significant investment in the quality of dentistry that we are proud to provide, and the comfort and convenience of our patients.

You can learn even more about the Lightscalpel Soft Tissue Laser here.

Orthodontists and dentists both help patients improve their oral health, but in different ways. Dentistry is a broad medical specialty that deals with the teeth, gum, nerves, and jaw, while orthodontics is a specialty within dentistry that focuses on correcting bites, occlusion, and the straightness of teeth. One important difference is that all orthodontists like Drs. Cartsos and Zavras are dentists, but not all dentists are licensed orthodontists.

How are they similar?

The main similarity between a dentist and orthodontist is that they both focus on oral care. An orthodontist can work in a dental office and provide the same care as a dentist. So in this respect, they are quite similar. They are both considered doctors, and deal with the teeth and gums.

How are they different?

There are more differences than similarities. An orthodontist requires additional schooling as a dental specialty; the situation is similar to a doctor who obtains additional schooling to become a surgeon. Another difference is that orthodontists specialize in helping patients with the alignment of their teeth, improving their bite, or fitting them for corrective braces and devices. If a patient has an overbite, a dentist will refer him or her to an orthodontist.

Dentists typically encourage good oral hygiene and provide services related to:

• Tooth decay
• Root canals
• Gum disease
• Crowns
• Bridges
• Veneers
• Teeth whitening

Orthodontists are dentists that specialize in the alignment of teeth, and provide services related to:

• Misaligned teeth
• Crowded teeth
• Overbite
• Underbite

What an orthodontist can help with

Orthodontists help with crooked teeth, but they assist patients with other issues as well. These include overbites and underbites, crossbites, spaces between teeth, overcrowding of teeth, and the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Additional problems with the jaw also need to be treated by an orthodontist.

While a dentist may be trained to provide orthodontic care in addition to extractions, TMJ treatments, and fillings, trusting your smile to an orthodontist can better balance the different procedures you require.

To learn more about the difference between dentists and orthodontists, or to schedule an initial consultation with Drs. Cartsos and Zavras, please give our team at Convivial Dental a call at our convenient Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts office.

“But they are only baby teeth; won’t they just fall out?” Our team at Convivial Dental has had these questions asked many times from parents over the years. Primary teeth, or “baby teeth,” will indeed come out eventually, to be replaced by permanent teeth as the child grows and develops. These teeth serve a great purpose as the child continues to develop and require specific care.

Because baby teeth are temporary, some parents are unenthusiastic about fixing cavities in them. This may be due to the cost or having to force a child undergo the process—especially having to receive an injection. But if a cavity is diagnosed early enough, an injection can often be avoided. More important, failure to fill cavities in primary teeth when they are small and manageable can have lasting consequences in cost and health concerns. Serious illnesses in children have been diagnosed which began as a cavity.

Primary teeth act as a guide for permanent teeth. When decay reaches the nerve and blood supply of a tooth, this can cause an abscess. Severe pain and swelling may result. At that point, the only treatment options are either to remove the tooth or to perform a procedure similar to a baby root canal. When a primary tooth is lost prematurely—to decay or a painful abscess—the adjacent teeth will often shift and block the eruption of a permanent tooth. Braces or spacers become necessary to avoid crowding or impaction of the permanent tooth.

There is nothing more heartbreaking for Drs. Cartsos and Zavras than to have to treat a child experiencing pain and fear. To all the parents of my little patients our team strongly recommend filling a small cavity and not waiting until it becomes a larger problem such as those described above.

Prevention is the key to a healthy mouth for our smallest patients. Parents should allow the child to brush his or her teeth using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and then take a turn to ensure the plaque gets removed from all surfaces: cheek side, tongue side, and chewing edges of all the teeth.